Would You Hire a B-Tech With the Right Attitude?

Chris Lawson

3d • 📣General discussion📣

"A-level would be great but we've lost hope. I'd settle for a B or C tech willing to learn that's upbeat."

A shop owner said this to me recently.

And I get it.

The frustration is real.

But something in that sentence is worth examining.

Is hiring a B-tech with the right attitude actually "settling"?

Or is it strategic clarity about what you actually need?

Here's where it gets interesting:

I've talked to owners who say "I need an A-tech" — but when I ask them to define what that means specifically for their shop, they can't.

I've also talked to owners who hired "B-techs" with great attitudes and clear growth potential — and those techs became their best producers within 18 months.

So I'm genuinely curious…

When you say you need an "A-tech," have you actually mapped out:

→ What specific skills are non-negotiable vs. trainable?

→ What personality and culture fit looks like for your shop?

→ Whether you have systems to develop someone who's 70% there?

Because here's the trap I see:

Some owners wait for a unicorn they don't actually need — while great B-techs with perfect attitudes go to competitors who were clearer about what they were looking for.

And some owners "settle" for a B-tech without doing the work to define what success actually looks like — and then wonder why it didn't work out.

Same decision.

Completely different outcomes.

The difference isn't the tech level.

It's the clarity.

So here's my question for you:

Would you rather hire an "upbeat B-tech" — or hold out for a maybe-mythical A-tech?

And more importantly: How confident are you that you actually know the difference for YOUR shop?

Drop your take below. 👇

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